The Last of Their Kind
by watergirl50610
Summary: It's the year 2098 and the Doctor must make a visit to the Detroit Zoo to prevent the eagle population from becoming extinct. Amy, thinking that the trip won't be that exciting, says something to the Doctor that will let her see him in a way she never has before.


**The Last of Their Kind**

"Do you ever miss this, Doctor? The sunset?" Amy, Rory, and the Doctor were lounging in a grassy field on some far-off planet, watching the sun lower behind the purple mountains towering in front of them.

The Doctor was laying between the married couple, his head propped up on his balled up tweed jacket. "Not really," he looked over at Amy as he answered her question. "I do have a time machine, don't forget. I can go to any place I want to see the sunset."

"Well, yeah," she sighed. "I mean, just… I don't know what I mean, never mind."

The Doctor smiled and looked back up at the sky. "That's okay. You've been through a lot today, I understand."

"Now I have a question, Doctor," Rory said as he sat up. "How did you even know you were supposed to give River her diary? And where did you even get it? It looks like the TARDIS, I'm sure you can't just buy that."

"Good question! Too bad I can't answer it." The Doctor jumped up and grabbed his grass-stained tweed, "Come on Ponds! We have places to go! People to see!" He headed towards the TARDIS, which was parked a few yards behind them.

He glanced back when he got to the doorway to see Rory with his mouth open and Amy pillow-less, since she was using the tweed as a prop, too. "Sorry!" He scrambled inside and dashed up the stairs, tripping on the top step "I'm okay," he said somewhat to himself.

Once Rory and Amy were inside, the Doctor started the dematerialization process while explaining where they were going. "Have either of you ever been to the States? Across the pond, Pond?" He smiled at his own joke as his fingers danced across the controls. The familiar "VWROP, VWROP" noise filled the TARDIS as it took off into the time vortex.

"Just once," Amy rolled her eyes at the Doctor's name game while wiping grass off of the bottom of Rory's pants. "Europe for most of our lives. We never traveled much. Until you came along. Late." She glared at the Doctor, still a bit cross at him for saying 5 minutes.

"Again, sorry," the Doctor stopped and patted the top of her head. "Thanks for putting up with her while I was gone, Rory. I'm sure she was feisty. A true Scottish." He grinned and winked at Rory, who blushed and nodded.

"Anyway, the year 2098. Michigan. The Detroit Zoo, which, ironically, isn't in Detroit." The Doctor spun his monitor around, "The very last bald eagles. America's official bird. They won't reproduce."

"So," Amy came over to the Doctor and leaned against the console, "you're going to see them before they're gone, yeah? Kinda boring, if you ask me. They're just birds."

"Just birds?" The Doctor stopped what he was doing and got right up next to her, his face red. "They're the last of their kind! Do you know lonely they must feel? They are never going to see someone else of their kind for the rest of their lives!" He was in her face now, so close to her that she was pinned to the side of the console.

Amy's eyes were wide and she looked like she was about ready to cry. She tried to slide past him put he stepped closer to her, blocking her way. He yelled "Do you know how they feel, Pond? And what about when one dies? Imagine the pain the other is going to feel! THE LAST OF ITS KIND! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE SUFFERING IT WILL GO THROUGH!"

Rory jumped over and shoved the Doctor away, "BACK OFF!" He stood between the two, staring at the Doctor in shock and anger. He couldn't believe that he would do something like that to his wife, getting all up in her face over one little comment. "What the hell are you doing?" Rory stepped closer to the Doctor, demanding an answer.

The Doctor was up against the railing, breathing heavily, looking back and forth from Rory to Amy, who was crying. He had no control over what he just did, it just came out of him. At first it felt like an insult to him, being the last of _his_ kind, the Time Lords, other than River, but now that he thought about it, she probably didn't even make the connection when she said it sounded boring. "I'm so sorr-"

"Don't give us that, Doctor! I want an answer!" Rory shouted, his voice echoing off of the TARDIS walls. Before the Doctor could answer, he changed his mind, "You know what, forget it." Rory threw up his hands and stepped back. "Forget it." He grabbed the sobbing Amy's arm and led her up the stairs to their room. He looked back at the Doctor and shook his head in disgust, then continued on behind Amy.

The Doctor just stood there, looking at where he had trapped Amy, tears building up in his eyes. "I'm sorry." He slowly started sliding down to the floor, "I'm so sorry." He hit the glass floor with a thud and just sat there. He could just barely hear Amy crying upstairs in her room.

He pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them, and rested his forehead on his knees. His shoulders heaving, breath catching, the Doctor cried harder than he had in hundreds of years.

"Hey," Amy said, leaning over the railing of the upstairs balcony, looking down at the Doctor.

"Hello," he replied, smiling an apologetic smile up at her while he worked on landing the TARDIS.

Amy walked over to the stairs and descended them, stopping on the bottom step and sitting down. "You okay? I saw you crying. Pretty hard, it seemed."

The Doctor took a deep breath, his eyes still a bit puffy and red, "Yeah. I'm good. And you?" He peered around the central column at her, concerned.

"Yeah. Rory and I talked. He explained to me why you got so mad." She stood up and made her way over to him. "I didn't even think about it like that, the last of their kind and all. And you, the last of your kind. I can imagine how hard it can be for you sometimes."

The Doctor looked up at her and gave a weak smile, "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm sorry."

"Snapped?" Amy questioned. "You didn't snap! You barked! And barked and barked!" Both of them laughed, relieved of the heavy tension that was no longer in the room.

"Oh, come here." The Doctor wrapped his arms around Amy and gave her a big hug, apologizing for everything that he had done. She stood on her tiptoes, a warmness spreading inside her, glad to be at good terms with her best friend again.

They heard Rory coming down the stairs and let go of each other, turning to him, both beaming, happy as can be. "Hello," Rory said to the Doctor, giving a little embarrassed wave. "Hey, mate, I'm, I'm sorry I shoved you. It's just, you were scaring Amy. And me. And-"

"Oh, stop rambling," the Doctor laughed as he embraced Rory, who seemed surprised to be forgiven that easily. He pat the Doctor's back, not comfortable with man-to-man hugs quite yet and wished the Doctor would let go.

"Come on, Doctor. I want to see those eagles now. I feel sorry for them." Amy smiled as the Doctor instantly let go of Rory, who sighed in relief, and started flicking switches and pressing buttons.

Just a few seconds later, the TARDIS made a thunking noise and the Doctor exclaimed, "We are here!" and rushed down the stairs and out the doors.

Rory and Amy followed, stepping out of the TARDIS and onto grey cement. Before they could even spot the Doctor, he rushed back past them saying, "Forgot my camera!"

Amy rolled her eyes and looked around. There were a bunch of trees and a fenced in area a bit away which looked like it had a camel inside it. She turned around to see a large, bronze fountain that had two bears on either side of it standing on their hind legs.

"Aha!" The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS with a disposable camera in his hand. "Pictures! Gather round, Ponds!"

"Film? You have a film camera?" Rory grabbed it from him and examined it. "Haven't seen one of these in years."

"Doctor, it's 2098," Amy grinned. "Do you seriously think you're going to find a place that still develops film? I doubt they even you digital cameras anymore, probably holograms or something."

"I have a film developing lab in the TARDIS, haven't you seen it?" he looked at her like she was supposed to know every room inside the big blue box.

Amy rolled her eyes and saw a man in about his 30s walking past them "Excuse me, sir? Do you mind taking our picture?" She gave him her best smile, trying not to look like a loon, asking for a picture.

"Uh, sure, I guess. I didn't know cameras even existed anymore," he chuckled and took the camera from Rory. "How do I use it?" Amy showed him what button to press and stood back next to the Doctor, who was between Amy and Rory again, his arms across their shoulders.

A small flash went off and the man handed the camera to Amy, "I'm Rory Williams. Thank you, Mister…?" Rory asked the man.

"Doctor John Smith," he told them. "Pleasure to meet you. Enjoy your day!" The man walked off. The three of them all looked at each other surprised.

"What a coincidence," the Doctor said, hurrying down a paved path towards the camel exhibit. "Look! Camels!" He pointed and ran off, Rory and Amy close behind. "I rode one once, very uncomfortable. Spat in my face, that camel did." Another flash went off as the Doctor took the closest camel's picture. He smiled and started walking away, "Come on, we're not here to dilly-dally! We have a species to save!"

"Wait," Amy said, her and Rory jogging to catch up with him. "Save? I thought we were just saying goodbye?"

"No! We've got to save the bald eagle population! I need to tell them how important it is to… you know," he made an awkward gesture with his hands.

"How in the world do you plan to do this?" Rory asked, walking briskly on the other side of him. "Are you going to talk to them or something?" He and Amy laughed, imaging the Doctor trying to talk to birds.

"Yes, actually. I speak fluent bird." Amy and Rory ceased laughing and just stared at him. "I thought I told you that already? I speak fluent everything." he stopped in a little alcove off of the main path, "Look! Chimps!" and the camera went off again.

Before Amy and Rory could even locate a long-armed primate, the Doctor was off again, heading towards a sign that read "The Arctic Ring of Life".

"Polar bears!" this time it was Amy who got excited and hurried off, after snatching the camera out of the Doctor's hands. The Doctor gave Rory a look of amusement and both of them ran after her.

As soon as their polar bear photo shoot was done, they continued on to the wolverine, the last exhibit before the eagles. "Fierce little buggers," the Doctor described them. "Like a good fight!" Another picture then they walked across the path to the eagles.

"Hello!" the Doctor yelled to the birds. "How are you? Wait, bad question, I know how you are. Anyway," the people him were beginning looking at the odd, floppy-haired man in a bowtie talking to the birds. "Reproduction! You guys need to lay eggs!" One of the eagles screeched. "Yes, I know it's not any of my business, but your species depends on it!" He leaned across the railing, "I'm from the future, and the past, actually, and there are thousands of you guys! Come on, chop chop! There is a bald eagle hidden in the Upper Peninsula right now waiting for you two to have a baby so he can.. help.. bring you guys back!" The Doctor nodded, his point made, and turned around to find that Amy and Rory had wandered off.

They were in front of the prairie dogs, Amy squealing at the cuteness of them, "Oh, my gosh, Rory! Look at them! They are so adorable!"

The Doctor came up and patted Amy on the back. "Everything's set. The bald eagle population has been saved. You're welcome." He smiled, proud of himself, his thumbs hooked in his suspenders, "Now come on, back to the TARDIS, the zoo will be closing soon!"

The three headed back towards the fountain, passing some farm animals, an anteater, and alpacas on the way, taking pictures of every one. Rory stopped and got some lemonade in a souvenir cup. "I have ten of those," the Doctor told him.

Once they got back in the TARDIS and were on their way again, Amy gave the Doctor another hug. "I forgive you," she told him. She let go, "Well, I better go check on Rory, lemonade never agreed with him."

"Hurry up, we have a plague to stop," the Doctor grinned at Amy as she turned around and gave him a weird look.

"A plague? Can't we go to a planet of diamonds or something?" She walked back to him, putting on her puppy-dog eyes.

"I am never, _ever_, going back to Midnight!"

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" Amy said as she lightly punched him in the arm.

"I am a not!"

"_I am not!_" Amy mimicked.

"Don't do that!" the Doctor snapped playfully. "Don't ever do that!"

"Whatever, plague it is, I guess," Amy shrugged and headed upstairs. The Doctor just shivered at the thought of Midnight and flipped a switch, giving extra power to the second floor guest bathroom.


End file.
